NY to Atlanta to LA to Atlanta and back to NY

Played in the next series of tournaments at The Bike last night, a NL$225 tourney which had 382 players and paid out top 27. Starting chips 2,000, 25-25 blinds, 30 minute levels. I’d had had a tough 2007 in tourneys, 0-fer 5 until placing 30th out of 922 last month during a Legends event. Busted out of a NL$335 event at Commerce last month so 1 for 7, not good. Last year I was 2 for 7.

Well, played a fairly solid tournament last night, usually putting my $ into the pot with the best hand. Tough tough field. I had 3 not that well known poker pro’s at my table, two of whom finished in the top 100 in the main event this year. Four notable hands this tourney.

Hand 1 – Blinds 25-50, round two, player UTG limps for 50, next guy makes it 400, and I push with my AK off suit. All fold to aformentioned raiser who calls and we both turn over AK. First guy stated he’d folded AK also. Sick, so chop pot right? Nope. Two spades for me on the flop, one on the turn, and one on the river to hit my flush with as Norman Chad would say, the ‘prettiest card in the deck’, the Ace of Spades! Needless to say, the gentlemen eliminated was not all that pleased.

Hand 2 – mid tournament, probably the 300-600 level, 100 antes and I have about 28,000 in chips. Three other players at the table have around the same number of chips as I with two of the three on my immediate left. All fold to me in the SB and I limp and make the half-priced call with 9-7 off. BB checks – two to the flop with only 2,200 in the pot. Flop – 9,8,6 rainbow. I check top pair with my open end straight draw and the guy on my left goes in for 17,000 in chips!?!?! I virtually instacall. He immediately states he’s on a draw and turns over his 7,3. I tell him me too and turn over my cards much to his chagrin. No chopped pot, I drag in a monster.

Hand 3 – A few hands later, I limp with 3,3. Everyone’s weary since there’ve been a few pre-flop Aces not raised. The SB with about 8,000 in chips looks me down and says he’s ‘not going to fall for ‘that”, and that he’d just out play me on the flop – yes, he actually says this. Flop, Q,3,6. Bingo. He checks, BB check and I bet out the minimum. He checks and the BB folds and the SB states he’s setting me up. Turn, nada, and he checks and I say, ok, I check. River he moves all in, and I instacall. He states ‘gotcha’ and throws his Q3 (for two pair) down on the table hard…..and I state, ‘ok’ and schwack, table my set! Table erupts in laughter.

Hand 4 – In the money now, I’m sitting solid down to final three tables and 2nd in chips at my table with about 48,000 in chips. Blinds 1000-2000 (300 ante). Guy moves all in early with 9,000 in chips and one off the cut-off I look down at QQ. I push to protect my hand only to be instacalled by AA. Argh! First guy turns over AQ…even worse. I’m dead to the case Q. I lost virtually all my chips there (only had about 7,000) left. I bust out 3-4 hands later. Ah, what could’ve been. I don’t really regret playing that hand that way. Yes, I could’ve just called, but could I really? Thoughts?

Anyway, 25th place out of 382 isn’t horrible. Only netted $485, but at least I won another $450 in the cash games. An ok night, but what could’a been.